Palencia Cathedral Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Cathedral Basilica of Saint Antoninus
Catedral-Basílica de San Antolín
South Façade
Religion
Affiliation	Roman Catholic Church
Year consecrated	1897
Location
Location	Palencia, Spain
Architecture
Architectural type	church
Architectural style	Gothic
Groundbreaking	1321
Completed	1516
Specifications
Direction of façade	south
Elevation	42 m (138 ft)
Website
catedraldepalencia.org

The Cathedral Basilica of Saint Antoninus (in Spanish, Catedral-Basílica de San Antolín) is a large Roman Catholic church in Palencia, Spain. It is named after Saint Antoninus of Pamiers. This amazing building is sometimes called "the unknown beauty" because it's not as famous as some other Spanish cathedrals, but it holds many valuable artworks and has a long, interesting history.

History of Palencia Cathedral
Gallery
See also

History of Palencia Cathedral

Building a Grand Cathedral

The main part of the cathedral was built over many years, from 1172 to 1504. It stands on top of a much older, low-ceilinged Visigothic underground room called a crypt. This crypt is known as the Crypt of San Antolín.

Right in front of the older Romanesque-style church, there's an even older Visigothic chapel. This chapel was built around the mid-7th century. It was created during the time of King Wamba. Its purpose was to keep the remains of Saint Antoninus of Pamiers safe. Saint Antoninus was a nobleman from the Visigothic-Gallic region. King Wamba brought his remains to Spain in 672 or 673. These ancient parts are the only pieces left of the original Visigothic cathedral in Palencia.

Size and Style of the Cathedral

The Cathedral of Saint Antoninus is very large. It is more than 130 meters (about 426 feet) long. The central part of the church is 42 meters (about 138 feet) high and 50 meters (about 164 feet) wide. These measurements make it one of the biggest cathedrals in both Spain and Europe.

For example, the famous Cathedral of Reims in France is 138 meters long. The central part of Notre Dame de Paris is 33 meters high. Reims is 38 meters high, and Notre-Dame d'Amiens is 42 meters high. The highest Gothic cathedral, Saint-Pierre de Beauvais, reaches 48 meters.

The Cathedral's Exterior and Interior

From the outside, the cathedral looks strong, simple, and a bit plain. However, this simple look doesn't show how grand and beautiful it is inside. The interior has more than twenty chapels. Each chapel is filled with important art and has a rich history.

The most noticeable part of the outside is the tower. It stands 55 meters (about 180 feet) tall. The tower looks solid and a bit rough, fitting its Gothic style. Recent studies and digs have shown that this tower was first built for military purposes. After it was no longer needed as a military tower, decorations like pinnacles were added.

Famous Artworks Inside

This large Gothic building is truly a treasure. Even though it's not as famous as some other cathedrals, it holds many valuable artworks. One of these is a painting by the famous artist El Greco. The painting is called The Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian and was painted between 1576 and 1579.

Another important artwork is a large altarpiece, or retablo. This altarpiece has twelve panels painted by Juan de Flandes. He was a court painter for Queen Isabella I of Castile. These artworks make the cathedral a very special place to visit.